School Fundraisers

Ah Fall, that special time of year when the weather cools, apples are in season, leaves are changing, and school kids start bringing home their fundraising brochures, begging you to buy from them again this year so they can earn a prize.  The monies brought in through fundraisers are definitely put to good use; our elementary school PTA uses their big fundraiser to pay for all the field trips through out the year.  That means no child gets left behind because their parents' can't afford the cost of a field trip.  Besides that wonderful contribution, the funds do help out in a lot of other areas as well.  However; especially with the economy the way it is right now, who needs another roll of overpriced wrapping paper, more cookie dough, another flimsy trinket?  My husband won't take order forms to work because he hates "hitting up" his co-workers to spend money on things they don't really need (although I do find it odd that he will order from one of them if they bring in an order form, but I digress).  The schools and attentive parents won't let kids go door to door, not like when I was a kid.  And unfortunately, more and more people don't live near extended family.  So that poses the question, who are these little salesmen supposed to hock their wares to?  Yes, fundraisers are needed and extremely helpful in providing a better school environment, but there has to be a better way.  I for one would prefer to help our schools by doing things I already do.  I have found some wonderful opportunities to support our children and our schools that don't require me to buy something I don't really need.  And what's more, most of these programs will enable family members to help out long distance.

If you shop at Albertson's for even a few groceries, you can help out the school of your choice.  After you link your Preferred Savers card to the school, every time you shop and swipe your card, the school will earn a percentage of the amount you spend.  Visit Albertson's Community Partners to link your card to your favorite school.

If you drink Coke products, including soda, Dasani, Powerade, and Minute Maid products, you can collect the points found under the caps and on the end flaps of twelve packs.  These points can be donated to the school of your choice to be used for a varitey of school supplies and equipment.  This program is great because family members that do not live close by can still help out.  Participating in this program is completely free, just start collecting those codes.  Visit MCR for Schools to see if your chosen school is participating.

If you eat at Subway, considering purchasing a Subway card.  You only need to purchase one and you can continually reload it.  If you link your Subway Card to your school choice, everytime you use your Subway Card to pay for your purchase, a portion is donated to your school.  Visit Subway Kids to learn more.

If you shop online, you are probably familiar with online shopping portals.  I use them all the time to earn a little cash back.  Instead of always using one that gives you cash back directly, you can use OneCause to earn cash back for your school.  Visit OneCause to learn more.

If you have a Target RedCard, you can use it to earn money for your school.  Once you enroll in Take Charge of Education, choose the school you want to contribute to and then shop as you normally would.  Visit Take Charge of Education for more information.

Two proven and reliable programs that offer ways to help your school are Box Tops for Education and Campbell's Soup Labels.  With both of these programs, you simply clip the portion of the label or box required and turn them into your school.  These programs are a little more difficult for long distance friends and family to participate in.  They do have the option of mailing the Box Tops and Labels to you for you to turn in or they can help earn by shopping through the Box Top Marketplace.  This is another online shopping portal that offers cash back to your school.  Visit Box Top Education to learn more.

A new program being implemented by CapriSun and Kool-Aid allows schools to turn in empty drink pouches to earn money.  If you normally purchase drink pouches, don't throw the empties away, turn them into your school to help them earn money through TerraCycle.  Not only are you helping your school, you are helping our planet.

Finally, if your school needs to run a true fundraiser, why not suggest something new, a personalized cookbook.  TasteBook offers a fundraising program that keeps our kids from becoming miniature salespeople.  Once the school registers, they can promote their cookbook link continually through flyers, bulletins, online postings, etc.  When someone is in need of a gift or wants to update their own cookbook collection, they use the school's link to customize their cookbook.  The school earns $10 for every cookbook sold through the link.  Or the school can create their own cookbook, order a set number of copies and sell them for what ever price them choose.  I personally think the cookbook link is the way to go.  Kids don't need to feel the pressure to sell, parents don't feel the need to help their child "earn" a prize, relatives who live elsewhere can order too, and it is an ongoing event with no deadline.  Visit TasteBook to learn more.

I definitely think schools need help from the community to provide the best possible educational experience they can.  However, I think there are better ways than turning our children into salesmen with the stress of keeping track of money and orders.  I have mentioned several options and I am sure there are many more out there.  Please tell your PTA organization you want to help and tell them about all the different ways there are that don't require hocking more wrapping paper.  Check out the options listed to see if your school is participating, if not, encourage them to start because every little bit helps.